Association Between Zinc Deficiency and Alopecia Areata

A recent study published in Acta Dermato-Venereologica notes that there is a correlation between low serum zinc levels and the severity of alopecia areata.

Zinc is a crucial element for DNA stability and repair and plays a role in maintaining normal hair growth. In various autoimmune diseases, zinc deficiency has been explored as a potential contributing factor. Researchers aimed to determine whether zinc deficiency is involved in the development of alopecia areata. They conducted a study involving 32 patients with severe forms of alopecia areata and compared them with 32 age- and sex-matched healthy control individuals. Serum zinc levels were measured in both groups.

The findings revealed that the alopecia areata group had significantly lower zinc concentrations compared to the healthy control group. Furthermore, zinc deficiency was more prevalent among the patients with alopecia areata. A significant correlation between serum zinc levels and the severity of the disease was also observed among the patients with alopecia areata. This suggests that as serum zinc levels decreased, the severity of alopecia areata tended to increase.

These results underscore the importance of assessing serum zinc levels in patients with alopecia areata. Low levels of zinc were associated with more severe cases of the condition. Understanding the link between zinc deficiency and alopecia areata could open new avenues for more effective treatment and management of this autoimmune condition.

“Given that most severe forms of alopecia areata are frequently most treatment-resistant, additional randomized control trials examining zinc supplementation are necessary to investigate its potential role in the restoration of hair follicles,” the authors concluded.

Reference
Lalosevic J, Gajic-Veljic M, Lalosevic Misovic J, Nikolic M. Serum zinc concentration in patients with alopecia areata. Acta Derm Venereol. Published online October 3, 2023. doi:10.2340/actadv.v103.13358